Audio-Technica VM540ML MicroLine Dual Moving Magnet Stereo Turntable Cartridge Red

Okay, so I am extremely pleased and amazed with this cartridge.I haven’t been into vinyl for long, but have been through a few setups. Started with a Ortofon 2m Red and Project Debut Carbon. The 2m red was errrh, okay. But it was very sibilant and lack dynamics.Secondly I upped my game and got both a Pioneer PLX 100 and Technics SL-1200 turntables. Firstly I paired these with a Ortofon 2m blue, hoping for an improvement from the Red. And yes, there was a noticeable improvement but it was still a little shrill, and brittle. And on both the Red and Blue, I had quite severe inner groove distortion. This is a no no for me, once you hear it, it’s unbearable. The last two tracks are very muffled and get progressively worse towards the label.So then I went to a Nagaoka MP-110, and I will say that the MP-110 is a very decent cart. It was much more dynamic, not so shrill, and more detailed. However…again I had inner groove distortion. So on I went.I finally decide

I’ve installed this as an upgrade on my Audio Technica ATLPX120 USB because although the cartridge it comes with is pretty good, the inner groove distortion was driving me mad. It really ruined the inner tracks of records for me.I bought this and after a bit of faff installing it onto the new headshell I had bought, I setup the turntable again ensuring correct balance and angle of the cartridge etc. And the distortion was completely gone. The dynamics we’re enhanced and overall it sounded better.This has been combined with a few other upgrades such as a phono box, hybrid cork/leather mat and a platter stabilisation weight and this has absolutely maximised the sound out of my AT. On its own the cartridge really was a major upgrade but combined with the other upgrades really has extracted all the performance available.The biggest thing for me was the cost. It is very expensive, not far off what I paid for my turntable but the enjoyment I now have means I think

I will second all of the reviewers on here touting the inner-groove distortion benefits of this cartridge and the stylus (VMN40ML red) combo. While it ameliorates most of the distortion there is still a pinch of it left, but it is a huge improvement. Like others have said, once you start hearing it in your records, you can’t un-hear it. I had a particularly bad case of it with the “A Time For Love” LP by Bobby Hackett on a Project 3 record that was impossible to get rid of the distortion with anything I tried. This AT cart and stylus combo made the whole record sound much clearer. I’m in the process of dubbing my albums to USB sticks so I can play them back through my Yamaha RX-V6A, much like a record changer did back in the day. These are my relaxing patio records. This cart and stylus combo is prompting me to start over with my A1 records and re-dub them. It does come with a few caveats, but I think, even those are starting to improve as I break in the cart and stylus. One is a much more delicate-sounding high end, very clear, not shrill or sibilant, but it is brighter with a higher pre-emphasis than I’m used to hearing from an RXP3 or a Sumiko Olympia or even a Jico stylus. It is a little more scientific sounding like the Shures are, but it’s starting to grow on me. I’m realizing when I process out what few pops and ticks I do have with Adobe Audition that the accuracy in which they are removed is a lot more precise, with no aberrations of Bobby Hackett’s coronet, or ruining of the horns and saxes in big band arrangements, which is often the case with less accurate carts. Oft times in the past I had to skip over these sections of the music and hand remove the heavier ticks. But, now, I find the extra work isn’t necessary with an improved cart and stylus and the automatic settings in the software often fare just fine with the musical material. Also the bass started out thinner on this cart, but, it’s now starting to broaden out and get deeper with use. Like all new carts, it just takes awhile to loosen up and become more compliant. This stylus is a nude micro linear cut and does a sweet job tracking the groove while skipping through the surface noise like 80% of it isn’t there any more when I compare it to an elliptical. This stylus effortlessly tracks down in the groove where a lot of stylii probably haven’t tracked before. Some of the mint vintage vinyl I’ve recently acquired still plays with some surface noise on an elliptical, even after very thorough wet cleaning. This AT gets through those same passages with way less noise than the ellipticals do. So far, I’m very impressed. I’m only using this to dub my A1 vinyl, I switch back to the ellipticals for unknown records, until I get a feel for whether they are worthy of the treatment from this cart/stylus combo. As for the sound, the detail is much improved, even over my Sumiko, which I thought was a step up from my tried and true Shure carts from decades past. The delicacy of the reproduction in the speakers is reflected in the fact the stylus cantilever is also a delicate mechanism, totally able to roll with the perturbations of the groove. The mechanics of the AT remind me of some earlier MM designs from the 1960’s, but I’m sure the stylus cut and higher output magnets, coupled with better hum-bucking coils have improved this cart’s performance over any of those old predecessors. Another caveat, make sure your stylus is firmly seated when you get it, mine was slightly ajar, it played, but it was weak and slightly out of balance and had a light hum in the right channel. Turns out the stylus needed to be re-seated to get the full output and balance it out correctly. Also, the hum was caused by a defective new headshell. Once swapped, the AT cleared up and now plays like a champ. I was sorely disappointed at first, until I decided that a headshell swap was worth a try, and sure enough, it was worth all the effort. Another caveat, the cart body is wide, so you will need thin hex nuts or round nuts for your mounting hardware. Keep the screws as short as you can, because any screw thread protruding down will cause the stylus not to seat properly, or worse, cause it to be pushed out away from the cart body as you’re mounting it, the screws have a tendency to want to toe out away from the body, if they are too long, and they catch the edge of the stylus grip on the way out as they splay. Just be aware. It’s not too fiddly to get it to go right once you get the right hardware combo. Fortunately, I had plenty to choose from to make it work, from years of collecting TT hardware. Channel balance is within spec according to the computer captures I’ve made so far. Frequency looks to really top out at 24 to 25kHz, where the same recording on my Sumiko is extended to about 28kHz. Bass looks typical, down to about 5-15 Hz, with a -8 to -12 dB rolloff under 38 Hz. My Cambridge Alva Solo is already a tad rolled off here, too, so any drop off in bass can be noticeable on this cart, but like I said, it’s starting to pick up after about 15 hours on it. It’s not as warm as any of my other carts yet, but, I think it will get there in the next few weeks. As it warms up, it’s starting to level out with the highs and is starting to sound more balanced. So far, sonically, it’s shaping up to be a nice cart. I was fortunate to find this on Amazon as an open box, apparently someone wasn’t willing to take the time with it to break it in, but I saved a bundle of bucks, so sometimes, you luck out. I know AT has a reputation for making shrill-sounding carts, while this one is noticeably bright, it is at least accurately so and it’s starting to become fuller with each play. I think, in due time, this will level out to be an extraordinary player. It was definitely an upgrade for me from my already-nice Sumiko Olympia and assortment of Shure, Ortofon and AT carts. I would have likened this to the Ortofon Blue in the beginning, but even now, it’s exceeding the blue by a few hundred yards in the sonic footrace. This is now my top player. Freq Resp: 20-27k, Opt 4mV, Ch. Sep. 28dB, Opt Bal. 1dB, Trk. Force 1.8-2.2g (2typ), Coil Imp. 2.7k(1kHz), DC Ohms 800, Load Imp 47k (typ), Load Cap. 100-200pF, Coil 480mH(1kHz), Static compliance 40×10(-6)cm/dyne, Dynamic compliance 10×10(-6)cm/dyne, Stylus Curve Radius 2.2 x 0.12mil, Aluminum tapered pipe cantilever, VTA 23 deg., Cart wght. 6.4g (almost a half gram heavier than the Sumiko).

I like my rega P3 turntable but I hate the Elys 2 cartridge. The cartridge itself totally a joke. So I bought the VM540. Thank God! It saved my setup and pulled me back to Vinyl world. I should buy a better one but it is good enough for the money! It’s still in the break in period and I believe it will be sound better later.

I purchased the Audio Technica VM540ml for my Acoustic Research XA turntable, which has a Rega 251 tonearm. I really like this cartridge. It tracks very well. Has excellent resolution and separation and seems to be a good match on my turntable and tonearm.I have previously used an AT VM95ml, which was surprisingly good, but the VM540 is a little better. The primary difference for me on my set up is separation. The VM540 really creates a wide soundscape with a lot of separation and a little fuller sound. I think either works well on the Rega tonearm, though, I suspect optimal compliance would be somewhere between these two. I have no issues with sibilance or brightness on my turntable. Very smooth from high frequencies to low, yet very resolving as well. I have about 10 hours on the cartridge and I really like it. I also have a re-tipped Denon 103 with the cap and a couple of vintage Shure carts (V15iv and M97xe) with aftermarket stylus, one from Jico, one from LP